Critical observations of print/broadcast/Web media plus public relations and advertising

February 29, 2012

While expenditures for our troops at military bases remain frugal, taxpayers --- with tax filing time approaching --- should be a bit grouchy with word that a nearly-completed soccer field for inmates at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, carries a hefty price tag of $750,000, notes Grumpy Editor.

Along with the soccer field, the new recreation yard at Camp 6, where most of 171 prisoners are confined, will feature a walking trail and exercise equipment.

The only negative (for detainees) in close-to-resort living is that screened fences block views of the blue Caribbean Sea.

The project, designed to keep prisoners occupied and happy with outdoor activities, started last April and is the third recreation yard at the Guantanamo complex.

An Associated Press story on the added playground, wrapped up in three small paragraphs, appears in some newspapers today.

But it is Catherine Herridge of Fox News who led with the revelation yesterday, mentioning, “The new field has been specially constructed so that the detainees ‘have maximum access’ -- about 20 hours a day.”

She added, “Special passageways allow the detainees to pass into the new recreation yard without being escorted by the military.”

February 28, 2012

In today’s Arizona primary, chances are broadcast and print media will not mention Mormons in connection with votes for Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor, one of four Republican presidential candidates actively seeking the nomination, predicts Grumpy Editor.

This contrasts with the Nevada caucuses Feb. 4 --- with Romney coming out the winner --- when media repeatedly overstated the Mormon influence in Nevada. On-scene reporters implied that many Mormons in the Silver State led to an easy victory for Romney.

However, Arizona ranks third in the number of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints members. Number one is Utah, followed by Idaho.

Washington State and Nevada follow.

Interestingly, when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was running for reelection (and won) in 2010, not much was said about the Democrat from Nevada being a Mormon.

February 24, 2012

For some public relations folks who like to use fluffy words in news releases that are sure to make editors grunt, a former newspaper business editor reminds them of some terms to avoid, notes Grumpy Editor.

The words and phrases to shun list comes from Tom Gable, founder and head of San Diego-based Gable PR and former business editor of the San Diego Tribune. (The Tribune merged with the San DiegoUnion to become the San Diego Union-Tribune until a name change last month to U-T San Diego.)

Gable also is the author of The PR Client Service Manual that helps public relations agencies or in-house PR staffs plan, organize and manage for results.

In a byliner on public relations tactics in the February issue of a Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) publication, Gable cites these offenders sure to irritate editors:

As an example of output from what he calls a “lazy writer,” Gable gives this example:

“XYZ Corp., the leading provider of best-of-breed, seamless solutions in the lug nut industry, announced the introduction of a new and improved version of its next generation hexagonal wrench today.

“We are excited to be the first mover in the introduction of this unique, cutting edge, customer-centric tool in this robust global market,” said Alonzo McSchwartz, CEO. “We are thrilled about our epic achievement and the out-of-the box thinking from our world class engineering team that led to this new paradigm in high-tech closure management solutions.”

February 23, 2012

Using “mademoiselle" on official documents in France is now banned and will be replaced by “madame,” learns Grumpy Editor.

Mademoiselle, since around 1635, was regarded as a title of respect, equivalent to “miss” and used in speaking to or of a girl or unmarried woman.

This week, the French prime minister’s office --- after a campaign by feminist groups calling the word sexist --- announced mademoiselle will be gone from official documents and advised that all women should be referred to as madame, whether they are married or not.

Now, while madame (or madam in the U.S.) is a polite term in addressing a woman, it also is defined as “the woman in charge of a house of prostitution.”

French feminist groups, including Osez le féminisme and Les Chiennes de Garde in their campaign to ban mademoiselle, probably didn’t think of that.

The alternative could have been the English word going back to the 1150-1200 era: damsel.

Damsel is defined as “a young woman or girl; a maiden, originally one of gentler or noble birth.”

In the U.S., Mademoiselle was widely seen on newsstands since 1935. But the popular Condé Nast magazine, socked by the economy, rolled out its final issue in November, 2001.

February 22, 2012

Look for media to play the long-running six-nation talks --- tomorrow in Beijing --- focusing on North Korea nuclear disarmament like something is finally going to break, but Grumpy Editor feels it’s likely to be ho-hum time again.

Nuclear talks regarding North Korea have been going on for years.

The only hope is the change in North Korea’s leadership since Kim Jong-il died in December.

The latest session will measure if Kim’s son and successor, Kim Jong-un, is more open to diplomacy.

The six nations --- South Korea, North Korea, Japan, Russia, China and the U.S. --- have been sitting around tables, off and on, for more than nine years trying to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear ambitions.

Recent talks (last July in New York and three months later in Geneva) made no progress.

North Korea’s routine has been to talk, followed by pauses, then more talks, followed by no resolution.

That’s been the Communist nation’s procedure since 1953 when the Korean War ended with a cease fire. North and South Korea technically remain at war with no peace treaty.

One reason nuclear disarmament talks get nowhere: North Korea, Russia and China are on the same side.

It’s been that way since the Korean War, in which Russia and China joined North Korea in fighting American and South Korean troops, among other allied forces.

After this week’s Beijing discussions, it will be interesting to see if media reports include (again) these words: deadlocked, impasse, inconclusive and recessed without agreement.

February 21, 2012

In writing news stories, journalism students are taught to follow the five Ws and the H --- who, what, when, where, why, and how --- yet pinpointing the where sometimes gets lost in the excitement of covering events such as with a deadly Hollywood fire last Friday, notes Grumpy Editor.

An Associated Press story reported three seriously injured gunshot victims were pulled from a burning Hollywood home where two others, including the gunman, died.

The story described the blaze that required 130 firefighters two-and-a-half hours to knock down.

With photos, coverage took up as much as half a page, with AP photos, in some newspapers on Saturday.

The story included quotes from neighbors.

Was the scene amid luxury homes in the Hollywood Hills? Was it close to famous Hollywood and Vine? Or perhaps near the Sunset Strip?

Readers of the AP story (along with broadcast accounts picking it up) never learned exactly where the incident took place.

Location was not pinpointed in the lengthy account.

Thus, it made traveling out-of-town Hollywood residents uneasy and concerned on learning of the happening.

It wouldn’t have taken much additional space to insert the precise location of the single story home: 517 N. Harvard Blvd.

And while mention of Hollywood always grabs attention, the scene was in an older, far eastern end of Hollywood --- three and a half miles northwest of the Los Angeles Civic Center.

With the observance of Presidents' Day, Grumpy Editor is taking the day off and will return tomorrow.

February 17, 2012

Telemarketers, even those linked to consumers via an “established business relationship” such as banks or auto dealerships, now will have to obtain your written consent before placing those pesky “robocalls” which always seem to occur at inopportune times, finds Grumpy Editor.

New rules from the Federal Communications Commission make it more difficult for automatic dialers with prerecorded messages to reach consumers.

Also, to simplify things, the FCC will require firms behind “robocalls” to allow those on the receiving end to opt-out of future calls within the first two seconds via pressing keys on phones.

Despite the fresh clampdown, some marketing folks and others still will find ways to interrupt peaceful evenings.

These include pollsters, schools, churches and non-profit operations.

And, not surprisingly, loopholes also allow another group to reach you: politicians.

The key method to block unwanted calls is to go to DoNotCall.gov and add your name to the National Do Not Call Registry.

No need to re-sign every five years, as some media sources suggest.

Registered telephone numbers will remain permanently, stemming from the Do Not Call Improvement Act of 2007 that became law in February, 2008.

February 16, 2012

The latest AP Stylebook update says use of “illegitimate” in reference to offspring of unmarried mothers should be discouraged, notes Grumpy Editor.

The style guide for journalists suggests substituting "illegitimate child" with phrases such as “the child, whose mother was not married” or “whose parents were not married.”

It’s also a case of using five or seven words to replace two.

The description “doesn’t come up very often in our news copy, but it’s a term that’s stigmatizing, and unfairly so,” relates David Minthorn, AP’s deputy standards editor.

The term is okay to use as part of a quote, he adds, but “our guidance would be to use something more sensitive.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the percentage of births to unmarried mothers declined slightly to 40.8 percent in 2010 from 41 percent in 2009.

Of course, the description can be whittled down to one word that used to be common in the U.S. and Britain --- and is incorporated in the script of the current “Downton Abbey” series on Masterpiece Theater on PBS (Sunday night).

That word: bastard.

And, yes, some workers still refer to their nasty bosses by that noun.